Kimkim Trip Reviews

This was one of our favorite family vacations ever. Diego was a HUGE help in planning it and making sure everything was exactly as I dreamed.

We were able to hit all the highlights we wanted to and the hotels were nothing short of spectacular. Everyone in my family had a different group of favorite activities from the trip! The zip lines and hanging bridges were a universal top-3, but we also loved all of the other excursions Diego helped plan for us. In 8 full days of vacation we managed to tour the Rio Celeste (my favorite), hike around the Arenal Volcano eruption site, float down the Arenal River, relax in some hot springs, take a horseback ride over the cloud forest mountains of Monteverde, hike through Monteverde, visit a sugar cane/cocoa/coffee plantation, go on a night hike, do zip-lining and walk the hanging bridges, and hang out at the beach finishing off with a sunset cruise on Tamarindo Bay. There wasn't a day we didn't enjoy ourselves. I just wish I had more days available where we could just relax and enjoy the beautiful country.

Everything was extremely well organized as well. The car rental went smoothly and every tour picked us up as scheduled with absolutely no stress on our parts. It was so nice to have a trip where I wasn't worried I had missed something or gone to the wrong location. Most tours were either just my family or my family a few other people - you never felt like you were part of a huge group and unable to hear the guide.

In fact, literally the only concern we had the whole time was when we landed in Costa Rica and tried to find our car rental. The directions said to find an agent from the car rental company at the airport, but there were 4 companies directly in the terminal so we assumed it was supposed to be one of those. When we asked one of the airport workers, they told us our company was a few kilometers away and we would have to rent a taxi which obviously concerned us. However, once we made our way out of the terminal the company's agent was right there and got us taken care of. May just want to change the directions to go out of the terminal and find your agent there.

Thank you for a wonderful trip!

Hotel Reviews

Tamarindo Diria Beach Resort

Tamarindo

OK hotel but very touristy and busy. The parking lot and most of the accomodations are across the street from the hotel so expect some walking. The pools themselves were great and it was wonderful having straight access to the beach (which is obviously it's main attraction). There is no room service so if you want to get something in your room you have to order it at the restaurant, wait for it, and then carry it across the road and to your room. Staff were also very impersonal compared to the hotels we stayed at in Arenal and Monteverde.

Authenticity & Character

not much character - just a Vegas-like hotel to get as many people as possible into the limited space

Location

beach-side access was wonderful

Staff

not very personal, had to ask them for what amenities/activities the hotel offered, laundry was a day late getting back despite dropping off at 8AM the day before

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rio Celeste Hideaway Resort

Bijagua

Absolutely beautiful hotel and great service. The room had a balcony opening right into the rain forest and a private outdoor shower in the back (along with a normal indoors one) where you could just listen to nature around you. Our kids loved eating here - they had fruit stands around the dining area so animals would constantly be climbing them to grab a bite to eat.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Koora Hotel

Monteverde

Koora was a quiet, beautiful hotel to relax and enjoy the cloud forest in. Our bungalow was surrounded by the cloud forest and we enjoyed the privacy and having nature all around us. While it doesn't offer as many amenities as other hotels, we enjoyed the quieter tempo and more personal atmosphere. Every one of the staff knew us by name and would check on us to see how they could best help us. We'd have our table for breakfast and dinner ready every day and, if we had any questions, they would quickly respond to a message through WhatsApp. Would love to return again and just spend days relaxing and enjoying their nature trails and atmosphere.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Springs Resort & Spa at Arenal

La Fortuna

Definitely a must-visit hotel. Extremely high-quality service. Many of the staff would call us by name despite us only being there 3 days. The hot springs were terrific - definitely try the ones down in Club Rio. They are surrounded by the rainforest and much more natural than the ones by the hotel. Our kids loved Club Rio, especially the rock climbing. We also all loved the entertainment room - our teenagers would happily go here to play some PS5 or other games while my wife and I could get some peace and quiet ourselves. You could spend a week here easily and not do everything they have available.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great hike around the volcano. Guide was very knowledgeable from everything of the local plants to the volcano and it's eruption itself. Great visual aids to help in teaching. We got some absolutely beautiful views of the volcano from the closest you are legally allowed to get to it. On the way back he led us off the usual path up the mountain side and you really felt like you were exploring the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Horseback Riding in the Cloud Forest

Monteverde

Extended horseback ride through the cloud forest. You go through a variety of areas, from shrubs, to mountaintops, to the cloud forest itself. We ended up on the mountaintop as the sun started to set with an amazing view of the surrounding mountains I will never forget. Longer trip than I thought it would be, but that was a good thing and it wasn't so long I was sore the next day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

El Trapiche Sugarcane Mill Tour

Monteverde

Very fun tour that both we and our kids enjoyed. The guide showed us how they grew sugar cane, coffee, and cocoa and how each was processed. You saw everything from plant to machinery to process. Along the way we were able to taste the coffee beans, raw cocoa seeds, and processed chocolate and we made our own raw sugar candy. Definitely recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Safari Float on the Peñas Blancas River

Arenal/La Fortuna

Excellent chance to see many of the animals in the rainforest. Guide had an amazing ability to spot them and then get us to see them. We saw iguanas, bats, owls, monkeys, and TONS of different birds. One highlight was definitely when the guide managed to get the howler monkeys to start calling back to him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Río Celeste & Tenorio Volcano National Park Guided Rainforest Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. We learned a ton during the hike and had a great time. We worked well with our kids, even when our youngest started getting a little tired of the hike.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TreeTram, Hanging Bridges & Zipline Adventure

Monteverde

This was my must-do adventure and it was exactly as I hoped. The hanging bridges tour was awesome - our guide was a lot of fun to talk to and always open to questions. We saw quetzals, tarantulas, hummingbird nests, and lots of other creatures. The hanging bridges themselves were terrific - we went across 6 of them, the largest spanning quite a long ways with beautiful view of the cloud forest around and under you. Zip-lining was awesome. You go on 7 total lines with the longest being 1/2 a mile. Sometimes they'd have my kids go separate, and others they ride paired. Everyone was very great and you always felt safe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I had specific needs when I reached out to Antonia about family trip to Croatia. We're are family of 5 including 3 children (12, 8, 4) traveling from West Coast with no direct flight during Covid and was not so sure if our youngest one would enjoy or keep up with our itinerary. Since we arrived in Zagreb airport, everything was taken care of for us and I didn't have to worry about anything including transfer to 6 different lodgings, restaurant recommendation, guide arrangements, and even Covid testing for traveling back to US. Antonia was always reachable for any questions and we were briefed every night for next day's itinerary. Croatia is a truly beautiful country with welcoming locals everywhere we went. Also none of my children complained about food, itinerary, which is not so common on our family trips. I would highly recommend a trip to Croatia to experience the culture, nature and deep history. Make sure to reach out to Antonia, she will take care of everything.

The trip was amazing! All the transportation, lodging, and activities were seamless and there was very little additional work on my end once I arrived. Diego was also extremely accessible and helpful with any of my questions/concerns during the trip itself. Highly recommend both the country and this tour agency.

Hotel Review

Evergreen Lodge

Tortuguero

Amazing food

Tips for future travelers

Be aware that the windows are just covered in screens and some bugs may get inside your room

Activity Review

Whitewater Rafting on the Pacuare River

Costa Rica

Tour guides were awesome and very informative while also keeping us safe. The food provided was also really good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My husband and I had an amazing trip to Colombia through Chaska Tours this past month! We knew that going on our honeymoon right after the wedding would be a lot of planning stress, but Micheal took care of all the logistics. We were able to coordinate with the team to ensure that we fit everything important to us on our trip and made requests for hotels we really wanted to check out, and then they took care of all the logistics. Every drive from the airport pickup to transfers across the northern coast was taken care of and every driver was punctual, if not early, but flexible to our needs. We also had three different tours that Chaska organized for and every guide was so incredibly knowledgeable, whether it was identifying Cartagena landmarks, explaining the medicinal and traditional uses of various forest growths, or identifying and calling to the endemic birds of the region. We felt the tours that were lined up through Chaska all enriched our trip and left plenty of time for solo exploring/beachside relaxation. We are so glad we booked our trip this way and would recommend to anybody planning a big trap.

Brittany was great to work with and was very accommodating while we asked for modifications. It was also great to have her support during the trip!

Activity Review

Sloth Observation - Day or Night Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our guide, Gustavo, was incredible. I’ll never forget this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Gustavo was one of the best guides I’ve ever had

Transport

Amazing first time experience with Kimkim. I had travelled with a big group of 10 to three destinations within Greece (8 days 7nights, with two domestic flights; international round trip not included) and everything went smooth and as planned. There was obviously close attention to detail and communication was excellent between Kimkim and us. Would definitely book through Kimkim again for future travels!

I can’t thank Leo enough. We had the best family vacation yet to Northern California and the coast. He took so much time get all the details, where to eat with fabulous restaurant picks, order of how to see the National Parks. (Sequoia and Yosemite) Fabulous reservations. Everything went seamless. I don’t think I will travel without an agent.

We had such a wonderful trip in Iceland! It was our first time there and Emanuela was extremely helpful in communicating with us while we were there about any last minute confirmations or changes due to the weather! Everything was set up and very easy to follow, from the google maps to the daily itinerary. It was such a special trip and we would highly recommend Emanuela to anyone planning to travel to Iceland , especially for the first time! It was an unforgettable trip!

Amazing family trip that we completed for spring break to Costa Rica. Adriana helped with the planning and produced options that would be fun for kids of different ages, also while making sure that we had time to relax as a family.

I first thought that this may be some sort of internet swindle, since I had never heard of KimKim before, but everything was exactly as promised. Every driver showed up on time, and every rental was organized, and excursions were as described.

I would recommend Adriana and KimKim without hesitation.

Rizwan Pasha, M.D.

Hotel Review

Hotel Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa

Fortuna

Very nice hotel and furnishings. Very good location, but food was better in the town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We just got back from an amazing trip to Peru. 11 days, 10 nights and all planned and executed to perfection by Liz and her team. If you are looking to visit Peru, Liz and the KimKim team are your go to team. They made our trip comfortable, punctual, with guides that were fluent in English and very knowledgeable about everything. Our first guide in Lima was Massiel who was very good and showed us around Lima and helped us with the local logistics. Our second guide in Cusco and Sacred Valley was Alexandra. We've been to over 16 countries and used so many guides and Alexandra was the best. Very personable, knowledgeable (knew all the great spots to eat especially with 2 vegetarians on the trip). Our final guide who came with us to the Inca trail was Joel and he was an expert in everything Inca (food, flora, fauna, Machu Picchu). All these guides were also excellent photographers, finding the right spots for some amazing pictures and memories. All the drivers who accompanied the guides were also very good, getting us on time and safely. Finally the person behind all this was Liz. From the day we landed, she was on Whatsapp with me, making sure we were in good hands. Great experience and will be using them again !

I have great things to say about Emanuela. We traveled to Iceland in March, which is not the typical or ideal time to travel there. We had originally signed up for a group tour but realized we wanted more flexibility and to travel just by ourselves. I had bought two different guide books but Emanuela was invaluable in telling me what would be appropriate for the season-- half the hikes and activities that I read about were snowed in or the roads were closed! She helped us pivot to do a fun winter trip with ice caving, snowmobiling, horseback riding on the beach, a Northern Lights tour, a premium Blue Lagoon experience, a Reykjavik food tour, and fantastic hotel recommendations. Some of the activities ended up being cancelled or rescheduled due to weather but we had enough going on we didn't feel any loss. She planned our whole trip out with great google map links and even set us up with a wireless internet hub for the whole trip through the rental car agency. The restaurant recommendations were always the best as well. She consistently checked in while we were in Iceland and also was very communicative about the changing covid protocols. I also switched the plans around quite a bit (dates, activities, hotels) and she was always patient and friendly. I know folks going to Iceland and I am recommending Emanuela for all their needs!

Andrea was wonderful and patient to work with during these turbulent times. Always responsive and flexible regarding our requests and changes. Our drivers were great except for the one from Ostuni to Lecce who needs to have a hands free visable phone so not to take his eyes off the road. In comparison to our OAT trip in Sicily prior to Puglia the Puglia guides were very knowledgable, but seemed less “into it”/passionate. Overall we were very happy with the trip and really enjoyed Puglia. No reservation about making recommendation for kim kim , Puglia,and especially Andrea.

Hotel Review

Boutique Hotel Palazzo Calo'

Bari

Wonderful location, wish there had been a typical breakfast but breakfast room not open. They left breakfast items in the room (kitchenette) Be aware that our bed was in loft accessed by a flight of stairs- could be an issue for some. No English tv station

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Matera Guided Walk

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Matera Guided Walk

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alberto arranged an incredible holiday for us. All the transfers and activities went very smoothly and we found Costa Rica to be a beautiful and friendly country with so much to see and do.

We visited Arenal, Tortuguero, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio and Bahia Drake and we enjoyed each and every one of them. The local guides are excellent and very knowledgeable.

In terms of accommodation Las Caletas in Bahia Drake is paradise.

Thank you for arranging such a fantastic holiday Alberto!

Hotel Review

Las Caletas Lodge

Puntarenas

Perfect location with gorgeous gardens, friendly staff and a beautiful beach. Great food. Highly recommended

Tips for future travelers

You will arrive by boat be prepared to get your feet wet!

Authenticity & Character

Stunning location

Location

So beautiful it's hard not to love it.

Staff

Very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

We got the honeymoon suite with its own hammock. Lovely balcony

Activity Review

Arenal Hanging Bridges & La Fortuna Waterfall Hike with Lunch

Arenal/La Fortuna

We swam at the base of the waterfall. Beautiful! And the hanging bridges are a great way to experience the canopy in primary rainforest

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Costa Rica was amazing. We visited Tortuguero, Arenal and Manuel Antonio.
We liked all three locations but we will not forget Tortuguero and the amazing hotel where we stayed, Tortuga Lodge & Gardens - truly outstanding location, view, service and food. Thank you to our guide Miguel.
In the Arenal area, Nayara hotels are a must if you are a foodie!
All the tours and transfers were on time with great guides. Everything worked flawlessly.

This was also my first experience with Kimkim and it will certainly not be the last. The degree of customization it allows is unparalleled. Also, Adriana was the perfect specialist for our first experience with Kimkim. Very friendly and responsive, her work was great creating a perfect trip and adjusting all the details we needed. She deeply understands the locations and activities, and gave us important suggestions. Thank you, Adriana!

TIP: always do your tours in the early morning. At first, we were afraid that the tours were too early (7-8 AM) but I glad we kept it like that. We soon adapted to do everything very soon in the morning (when it's fresh and the nature is more active) and then keep the afternoons to yourself and relax.

Hotel Reviews

Makanda by The Sea Hotel Adults Only

Manuel Antonio

Superb location and views, awesome design, great pools. Poor service at the restaurant - certainly doesn't match the price and profile of the hotel. Also, poor noise insulation in the rooms - you can hear everything that's going on outside and in other rooms. The music in the pool areas should be avoided and certainly affects your experience. We asked for a volume decrease, which happened during our presence by the pool, but the volume was turned up again as soon as we left. Would not return here unless a deep review of the service happened.

Tips for future travelers

Request a room far from the pool areas. Our room was next to the pool, and we could not rest/relax during the day due to the music.

Authenticity & Character

Location

awesome sea view

Staff

Staff in restaurants were not professionals, and some were unfriendly. The staff from front office and transport cars were nice, though.

Cleanliness & Comfort

room insulation in the rooms.

Nayara Hotel Spa and Gardens

Fortuna

Great hotel. Awesome food with lots of choices. It's not cheap, but if you can afford it and appreciate good service and food, go for it.

Tips for future travelers

Try to request a room with view of the Arenal vulcano.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gran Hotel Costa Rica, Curio Collection by Hilton

San José

Great hotel, great design and breakfast. Central location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tortuga Lodge & Gardens

Tortuguero

Amazing hotel, one of the best we've been. Great service and food. Location and views are breathtaking.

Tips for future travelers

Arrive by boat and leave by plane, so you can have both experiences. The small airport is right across the canal. We upgraded to a room with A/C but we didn't really used it. The ceiling fan is more than enough. Book a Miss Evelyn suite - you won't regret it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Shuttle from San Jose to Tortuguero

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy the Beauty of Tortuguero National Park

Tortuguero

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Hanging Bridges & Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our specialist Lucas was fantastic. We have been planning this trip for over 8 months and he was able to help us narrow in on activities we wanted to do, and places we wanted to stay. We even threw in a date change. He was also available throughout our trip for updates and questions. Loved having the support.
Our local guides were also fantastic, Maxi in Buenos Aires and Carolina in Bariloche were very helpful, friendly and went above in beyond.
We had quite a few interactions with local tour companies as well and each one of them acted professionally and were very friendly and helpful.
Knowing what we know now about Argentina, we might have made a few itinerary changes, such as more time in Buenos Aires, less time in Ushuaia, and putting boating, or vehicle based outings before our hiking/trekking outings. We really enjoyed each place. If we return to Argentina we will certainly contact Lucas.

We new the company through our search in the internet, and started planning with Jesseca

Our planning although took a long time and emails back and forth, Jessicca provided us with a very detailed plan that reflected what we wanted and more. Her suggestions were really what we wanted and we enjoyed all the activities with no exception.

From day one in all the activities, the services were as she said they would be, all the drivers were on time, professional and extremely nice and helpful. Everything was planned to its every detail except for the meal time, because Italy closes at 2 for the lunch we faced some difficulty planning our lunch in time of the activity and I think this should be taken into consideration when planing the activities.

All the activities were amazing and they provided us with the best services and treatment. The people that we met became our friends from the drivers to the tour guides.

I felt safe with all the tour guides and drivers and they all provided us with information on the places and the history of it.

I did find the prices for the tours higher than the tour’s prices normally when I asked and compared with the local prices around in the country.

Many thanks to Kimkim the company that turn our dreams to reality.

Best wishes

Activity Review

Explore Pompeii Walking Tour

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Simply amazing! Our trip was everything I wished And More. Since I started designing the trip with Andrea he got a quick idea of what I was looking for and given that there were so many possibilities he helped me narrow down ideas and design an amazing experience specially that would cater to our seven and thirteen year old kids.
Even before departing Andrea took care of us and made sure we were set to enter Italy. Once we arrived at the airport in Rome, Mateo received us and took us to our hotel everything went on smoothly and every guide we encountered was incredible. Kiara in Rome was the best Roman guide we could have ever asked for! Then our amazing cooking class in Tuscany was my dream come true. The cooking experience in such an amazing place was a life-changing experience for me and my children.
Lucia in Florence and Enrico y Venice we also great. We enjoyed every detail they had with us specially the scavenger hunt in Venice which was a very different way of learning and touring the city. The hotels we were booked in we’re extremely good and complied with everything I requested I would definitely stay in those places again and recommend them. I wish Andrea could be our travel designer for all our trips!!
Looking forward to our return to Italy❤️❤️

Hotel Review

Lh Royal Suites

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Rome Private Golf Cart tour

Rome

Chiara was amazing and pleasing! Amazing guide

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Andrea was a pleasure to deal with , no detail was left out and the clients wishes were all taken into account each step of the way.
I would not hesitate to recommend anyone to deal with Andrea no request is too small and he really goes the extra mile for your clients.
I look forward to working with Andrea again in the near future

We had an absolutely fantastic time in Costa Rica. My daughters (ages 7 and 9) loved everything about the trip. The Arenal, Monteverde, Manual Antonio itinerary was perfect -- we felt like we got to see a lot of biodiversity in a relatively short time. The visit to Proyecto Asis, the animal rehab center, was a highlight for our animal lovers!

It was an absolute pleasure working with Brittany. She crafted an itinerary that worked really well for our family, and once we were on the ground in Costa Rica, everything worked seamlessly.

We’re a family of 4 with our first trip to Morocco. The entire experience was fantastic, starting and ending with Abdel. He was very patient, trying to customize our trip to meet our expectations and extremely accommodating as our travel plans changed several times due to canceled flights. He took the time to meet us in Marrakech which added a personal touch and felt we were friends meeting for coffee. Samir was our assigned driver. Samir is kind, knowledgeable about the sites and also very patient fielding our endless questions over 8-days. He continued to check on us post our departure from Morocco to ensure we arrived to our destination safely. Overall, the riads, hotels, restaurants, tour guides, and excursions met our expectations and we couldn’t have asked for a better trip. Our favorites were the Tiziri Camp riding camels and ATV through dunes of Sahara Desert , the Souks of Fes, and the Tangia in Marrakech cooked by the Chef of former King.

Hotel Review

Riad Salam Fes

Fes

Riad is absolutely breathtaking! As it’s a Riad in the Médina, be prepared for unpleasant sewage odor and hearing the noise from the hotel and Street. But definitely worth it to experience the Riad.

Tips for future travelers

Cover drains to minimize odor and bring ear plugs.

Authenticity & Character

Decor

Location

Inside Médina is great!

Staff

Very kind and attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean but not comfort not comparable to modern hotels

Activity Review

Full-day guided tour in Fes

Fes

Mohamed or “Momo” has 30-yrs of experience and understood the history of Fes extremely well. He helped to negotiate prices which was super helpful and hopefully fair for all.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport